Key facts
- Jewish anti-Zionist groups protested a real estate event in London.
- The Board of Deputies of British Jews condemned the protest.
- Protesters allege the event marketed illegal Israeli settlements.
- Counter-protesters were described as a 'fascist mob' by one demonstrator.
- The Board of Deputies has not retracted its statement despite contradictory evidence.
Anti-Zionist Jewish groups have responded to a statement by the Board of Deputies of British Jews, which condemned a protest outside a real estate event in London. The protest, co-organised by Jewish Anti-Zionist Action (JAZA), the International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network (IJAN), and the Palestinian Youth Movement (PYM), opposed the sale of land and properties, including those in illegal Israeli settlements.
The Board of Deputies had claimed the event did not market real estate over the Green Line and that the protests were "wholly unjustified" and intended to "harass and intimidate members of the Jewish community." However, protesters, including Jewish individuals, presented marketing materials and videos showing stalls promoting properties in the occupied West Bank. Sky News also revealed images contradicting the Board's claims, and event organisers reportedly apologized for listing West Bank settlements as illegal under international law.
Protesters argue that the Board of Deputies can no longer represent the British Jewish community, with one JAZA member, Dora, stating she obtained leaflets and videos confirming illegal land sales. Another JAZA member, Max Hammer, described counter-protesters as exhibiting "the behaviour of a fascist mob" and accused the Board of Deputies of legitimizing far-right violence by aligning with them. He stated the organization is in "crisis" for defending Israel and has found itself at odds with parts of the Jewish community and society.
Joshua Gottlieb, from the Jewish organisation Na’amod, criticized the Board of Deputies' statement as "disingenuous" and part of an ecosystem that led to him being threatened and harassed by counter-protesters. He noted that he faced extra threats due to wearing a kippah. The event had drawn condemnation from over 100 UK MPs and peers, London Mayor Sadiq Khan, and Amnesty International UK, who called for its cancellation. Despite this, the event proceeded, with Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper referring the incident to the Advertising Standards Authority.